Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down. Let the earth open for salvation to spring up. Let deliverance, too, bud forth which I, the Lord, shall create.

Short Responsory

The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

His glory will appear in your midst.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Canticle

Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

I will help you, says the Lord; I am your rescuer, the Holy One of Israel.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation

in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,

his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies

and all who hate us,

to take pity on our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant

and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

that he would give himself to us,

that we could serve him without fear

– freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him,

for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation,

so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God,

one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness,

who live in the shadow of death;

to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

I will help you, says the Lord; I am your rescuer, the Holy One of Israel.

Prayers and intercessions

Let the heavens open, and the skies rain down the just one; let the earth bring forth Christ, who is the wisdom and power of God.

– Be near us, Lord, today.

Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us into your kingdom:

may we enter in, and live according to your call.

– Be near us, Lord, today.

The world does not know you:

show yourself, in our midst, to all our brothers.

– Be near us, Lord, today.

We thank you, Lord, for all that we have:

move us to give of our plenty to those who have little.

– Be near us, Lord, today.

We look for your coming, Lord Jesus:

when you knock, may we be found watching in prayer and rejoicing in praise.

– Be near us, Lord, today.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Lord God, you gave Saint John of the Cross

the grace of complete self-denial

and an ardent love for the cross of Christ.

Grant that by following always in his footsteps

we may come to the eternal vision of your glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps, programs and downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.